“They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.”
“They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food.”
-Matthew 14:20 & 15:37 (NLT)
Twelve baskets full. Seven baskets full. That’s a bunch of bread… even for twelve people! But the stories didn’t start out that way. What ended with satisfied tummies and an abundance of provision started out first with five loaves and two fish, and seven loaves and a few small fish, respectively – barely enough to go around for the gang. Oh yeah, I should also mention a couple of hungry, tired crowds, 5,000 men (plus women and children!) and 4,000 men (plus women and children!) (Matthew 14 & 15)
“Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus said, ‘That isn’t necessary - You feed them’.”
-Matthew 14:15b, 16
Have you ever “heard” Jesus ask something of you that seemed unreasonable? Perhaps stuff like “love one another”, or “forgive from your heart”, or if that didn’t push you over the edge “love your enemies” might have struck you as just a tad unreasonable! Anyone who has actually taken seriously one of His admonitions has come to the place of saying, “Lord, I just can’t do this… what in the world are you asking me to do?” As Jesus-followers it seems as though we are always being put in situations that seem beyond our resources and character to accomplish.
That’s just the way he does things. That is normal modus operandi for the Son of God! Get used to it! What… did you expect it to be “easy”?!?
But here’s the awesome thing – every time we are asked to go beyond ourselves we are being invited to participate in a miracle! What a privilege!
…if we’ll “get it”…
But the disciples pull out their calculators and start figuring. “But we have only…” and “Where would we get enough…” (Matthew 14:16 & 15:33) Isn’t that just like us? We figure and calculate and administrate and come to the conclusion that it can’t be done!
And Jesus invites then (& us!) into a miracle. What starts as a fairly meager personal supply ends up with leftovers that are more than enough for everyone for quite a while! One key - trust, obey, and give what He asks. If the loaves and fishes are held onto in self preservation no miracle happens. When they are freely given, abundance results.
Twelve baskets full. Twelve. Not 10, not 11, but twelve. Do you think the number is an accident? I don’t! Jesus says to his twelve disciples, “I’ve got you covered, you just need to trust me!” Because we’re a little slow to “get it”, He does it again and seven baskets are a result… the number of completion, of
perfection, of fullness. “Remember last time? I’ve got you covered! You can trust me to take care of you completely.”
So, what is Jesus asking of you? Does it “seem unreasonable or impossible”? You are being invited into a miracle!
So… how about that lunch? -Pastor Tom
Pastors Tom & Cindy
